The morning mist over Tracen Academy had not yet fully dispersed, but the rhythmic sound of footsteps already echoed on the Rigil Team’s training ground.
Ryo, Symboli Rudolf, and Maruzensky were undergoing their final sprint training before the race, while Air Groove and Mr.
C.B.
were meticulously refining their debut race tactics under Tojo Hana’s guidance—a grand racing feast spanning several days and multiple locations across Japan was about to begin.
The first event was Air Groove’s debut race in Tokyo.
Although it was a basic open race, it attracted considerable attention.
After all, it was the Rigil Team’s rookie debut, and more importantly, the debut of the Student Council Vice President.
On race day, the Tokyo Racecourse was packed.
Ryo and the other two sat in the spectator stands, while Tojo Hana gave final tactical instructions backstage.
“Remember, your advantage is the final sprint.
Maintain position in the third echelon during the middle and front sections, then accelerate with full power in the last two hundred meters,” Tojo Hana’s voice was calm and clear.
“Don’t be swayed by your opponents’ pace; trust your own judgment.”
Air Groove took a deep breath, her blue eyes gleaming with determination.
She wore a custom-made racing uniform, her dark hair tied into a high ponytail, her posture as straight as a pine.
With the clang of the starting gate opening, a dozen Uma Musume shot out like arrows from the starting line.
Air Groove, as planned, steadily followed in the third echelon, her gaze fixed on the opponents ahead.
Mid-race, the track gradually narrowed, and many Uma Musume began to accelerate and jostle for position.
Air Groove remained calm and composed, using her agile physique to avoid the chaotic crowd.
As she entered the final two hundred-meter straight, she suddenly unleashed her power, bursting forward like a black lightning bolt.
Her powerful sprinting ability instantly created a gap, and she ultimately crossed the finish line with an absolute advantage, winning her debut race!
In the spectator stands, Ryo stood up and applauded, admiration flashing in her crimson eyes; Symboli Rudolf nodded slightly, a gratified smile playing on her lips; Maruzensky enthusiastically waved her arms, shouting Air Groove’s name.
Even Tojo Hana, backstage, rarely showed a hint of a smile as she handed over a towel and sports drink: “Well done, you lived up to your training.”
Air Groove took the towel, her face beaming with the joy of victory, yet she remained composed: “Thank you, Trainer, and thank you all for your support, seniors.” Her gaze swept towards the spectator stands, meeting the eyes of her three seniors across the crowd, her heart filled with gratitude and fighting spirit.
Three weeks later, the Osaka Racecourse hosted the Mainichi Cup, featuring Mr.
C.B.
Unlike Air Groove’s composure, Mr.
C.B.
displayed a free-spirited style from the very beginning.
In the early stages of the race, she deliberately fell to the back echelon, sometimes weaving left and right, sometimes slowing down to observe her opponents, making the spectators on the sidelines hold their breath.
“This girl, she really doesn’t play by the rules,” Maruzensky smiled and shook her head, yet her eyes were full of trust.
Tojo Hana calmly analyzed: “She’s looking for the best overtaking opportunity.
Her adaptability to turns and her mid-to-late acceleration ability require sufficient space to perform.”
Indeed, as she entered the turn, Mr.
C.B.
suddenly accelerated, weaving through the crowd like a nimble leopard, instantly overtaking several opponents and surging into the leading echelon.
In the final hundred meters, she withstood the pursuit from behind, relying on her tenacious willpower and unique running style to cross the finish line first, also completing her debut with an overwhelming victory!
When Mr.
C.B.
lifted the trophy, she excitedly waved to the camera, shouting: “Everyone, I did it!” Ryo and the other two in the spectator stands exchanged smiles, proud of their free-spirited junior.
The complete victories in the two debut races allowed the Rigil Team’s name to begin to emerge in the Japanese horse racing world.
But the real main event was yet to come—three top Uma Musume’s G1 senior races would appear in succession.
The first race was Symboli Rudolf’s Japanese Derby.
As a traditional G1 event, it brought together the top three-year-old Uma Musume from all over Japan.
Symboli Rudolf took the lead from the start, her dark brown figure dominating the track like an empress, every step steady and powerful, the white blaze on her forehead gleaming in the sunlight.
Facing repeated challenges from the Uma Musume behind her, she consistently maintained a stable pace, and during the final straight acceleration, she displayed unparalleled explosiveness, winning the championship without suspense, continuing the legend of the “The Empress.”
Immediately after, Maruzensky competed in the Autumn Flower Award.
As an Uma Musume skilled in tactics, she demonstrated extreme control during the race.
In the middle and front sections, she hid within the echelon, observing the condition of each opponent, then suddenly changed lanes at a critical moment to seize the optimal route, and finally, with precise timing in her sprint, she won with a slight but absolute advantage, proving with her strength that tactics and power are equally important.
The final race, and the most anticipated one—Ryo’s Tenno Sho (Spring).
As one of the highest-level races in Japanese horse racing, the Tenno Sho (Spring) was exceptionally competitive.
Ryo wore a silver and blue racing outfit, her silver hair fluttering in the wind, the red hair on her right side like burning flames, her crimson eyes filled with fighting spirit and dominance.
After the race began, Ryo did not rush to the lead, instead following in Symboli Rudolf’s former position, maintaining the pace of the second echelon.
Mid-race, when other Uma Musume began to accelerate, she remained as steady as a mountain, until she entered the final three hundred-meter straight, where she suddenly burst forth with astonishing speed, streaking across the track like a silver meteor, instantly overtaking all opponents, and crossing the finish line with an absolutely crushing victory!
“Champion!
Ryo!
The Rigil Team’s third G1 champion is born!” The commentator’s voice trembled with excitement.
“In just three months, the Rigil Team has achieved five wins in five races, from rookie debut races to G1 senior races, all taking the championship!
This is an unprecedented miracle in the horse racing world!”
At this moment, in a corner of the Kyoto Racecourse spectator stands, a couple held a small figure.
It was a little girl who looked only three or four years old, with a similar hairstyle to Symboli Rudolf, her white blaze interspersed with a few dazzling red strands—it was Tokai Teio, not yet one year old (by horse age).
She stared with wide, round eyes at the radiant silver figure on the track, then turned to look at the replay of Symboli Rudolf’s victory on the nearby screen, her small fists unconsciously clenching.
“Mommy, Daddy, that silver-haired big sister is amazing!
And that dark brown-haired big sister is also so strong!” Tokai Teio’s voice was tender yet full of power, her eyes sparkling with an unprecedented light.
Tokai Natural and her husband exchanged a smile, gently stroking her head: “Yes, they are seniors of the Rigil Team, the top Uma Musume right now.”
Tokai Teio nodded vigorously, her small face full of determination: “I want to be like them, run the fastest, and get first place!
I want to surpass them!” That love for running, that obsession with being champion, burned fiercely within her like an innate instinct—it was the imperial soul of Ryo and Symboli Rudolf, flowing in her bloodline.
On the track, Ryo held up the trophy, inviting Symboli Rudolf, Maruzensky, Air Groove, and Mr.
C.B.
to take a group photo.
The five stood side by side on the podium, behind them the rising academy flag, in front of them countless cheering spectators.
The name of the Rigil Team would henceforth resound throughout Japan, becoming the undisputed strongest team in the horse racing world.
The Student Council also became a gathering place for monsters, a symbol of strength.
And in the corner of the spectator stands, Tokai Teio looked at the two dazzling figures on the podium, a seed of a dream planted in her heart.
She didn’t know that between herself and those two “idols,” there was the deepest bloodline bond, and this bond would eventually blossom with even more fervent brilliance on the future race track.